She's Like the Wind
by rocketshippergirl
Summary: Leila Miller, or "Black Tiger", as she was called, was one of the few women that Wolverine ever truly loved. She was just like him, and it amazed them both that he could tolerate that. There was one particular year that changed their lives forever, and it was an event that they would never recover from. No self-healing would erase this scar.
1. A Quiet Night in Nagasaki

Night had fallen across the sky, like a soft blanket of navy blue and silver, with an iridescent moon sending it's gentle beams down onto the grass fields and village lights of the outskirts of Nagasaki.

Sukiya-zukuri, a traditional Japanese home, used originally for tea ceremonies, lay in the clustered area of a beautiful botanical garden. A white wooden bridge with two concrete posts holding up the ends of the structure, was the entrance from the surrounding village to the house. The interior of the house was made up of smooth and furnished wood, and had narrow hallways, and medium sized rooms (but the comfort out weighed the possible negative take on the small quarters). The only lights that were on were located in the living room and bedroom, with a dim one in the kitchen.

The ones in the bedroom were low and the lighting from the window panes mixed with the beams of the moon, creating a soft blue glow that reflected the shadows of two figures. One was a petite young woman of Chinese descent. She had long black hair, tan skin, perfectly formed lips and facial features, with a beautiful physique to match. The other was a muscular man with a beard and side burns, who was quite handsome, despite his intimidating look. They were laying on a mattress on the wooden floor, the woman fast asleep, but the man was awake.

He gently trailed his fingers along her arm, then to the curve of her shoulder, his fingers threading through her black hair, eyes fixated on her sleeping body. The only sound to be heard was the soft breathing from the sleeping female, a tiny smile on her lips. A gentle rustle of cloth was heard as the man sat up slowly, rubbing his face tiredly as he looked down at his companion.

"What is it?" a soft voice spoke from beside him as the woman rolled onto her side, looking up at him. She pushed herself into a sitting position and pulled up the strap of her nightgown, which had fallen down her arm. Her hand touched the man's arm, her slender fingers curling around the limb, a look of concern on her face.

"Did I wake you?" the man asked, brushing some black hair from her face. He tucked a strand behind her ear, shifting a little on the mattress as she ran her fingers through her hair, and stood up. She was very short compared to her lover, who stood at 6'2, while she herself was 5'3.

"Not exactly. I can sense when you're awake and when you're asleep. What's bugging you, Logan?" the girl questioned once more, pulling on a robe and carefully climbing onto him. She gently kissed him, before pulling back slowly, her hand gently stroking his cheek. The room was a little chilly, and the girl shivered through the thin clothes she was wearing.

"Leila, get back under the covers before you freeze." Logan stated, helping the girl off of his lap, feeling her form shiver. He was thankful that the room was slightly cold, as it helped him avoid the question. It wasn't that he was purposefully ignoring her, he just didn't want to talk about it. But knowing Leila, that wasn't an option.

"Logan, what's going on?" Leila asked again, her tone far more serious than before. She had reluctantly gotten back under the blankets, and propped her head up with her hand, leaning on her arm. She gazed up at him, her other hand on his arm, feeling the muscles tense, causing her to sit up and look at him.

"It's nothing, go back to sleep." Logan dodged her inquiry, wrapping his arms around her waist as he lay next to her, a half smile appearing on his face when she put her hands over his. It must have been two in the morning, and they hadn't gotten to bed until at least midnight. Logan knew she was tired, who could blame her, after spending nearly two hours having sex, foreplay and all.

She looked peaceful, and the only movement that came from her was the soft breathing pattern that accompanied sleep. Her neck and a little of her back were exposed from underneath the white comforter, but her black hair covered the revealed skin. Logan spent a few minutes admiring her delicate body, before his eyes began to close, and he slipped into a light sleep.

That's when the dreams began.


	2. Tormented Visions

p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;"Logan was yelling, and his body was being tortured by many needles and sharp objects. He saw a man smirk, say something and then chuckle darkly. Logan shot up in his dream, unsheathing his claws and thrashing about, unknowingly stabbing the wood floor that he lay next to, in reality. He awoke when something else made of metal hooked onto his claws and stopped them. He was breathing heavily and panting, his eyes full of fright. He looked at what had stopped his claws and saw Leila in a sitting position, her own metal claws blocking his from harming her. She looked concerned, her eyes filled with worry as she slowly retracted her claws, and put her hand on his arm, watching him sheathe his claws. /span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;""What happened?" she asked softly, rubbing his arm. She lay back down on the mattress, and watched him lay down next to her, her body against his chest. She traced his knuckles with her fingers, before propping herself up once more, looking down at him with an apprehensive gaze. Not waiting for an answer, the woman got to her feet and slowly made her way to the kitchen, turning on the stove to boil water for tea. span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;""Weapon X." Logan said from behind her, the light shining on his muscular chest that was glistening with sweat from the nightmare, and a pair of boxers donned his lower half. Leila turned around, the straps of her black negligée half way down her arms, her hands holding the edge of the counter as she leaned back. The girl tossed her head back a little, her black locks falling away from her face and dark eyes training themselves on the man's figure. She prolonged an exhaled breath, turning the stove off once the tea was done, and poured the liquid, handing a cup to him. span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;""Is this the first night? The first night the nightmares occurred, I mean. Or has it been happening for a while and you just chose not to tell me?" she questioned, sitting down at the small table, her own cup clasped in her hands. She knew right from the moment he hesitated that the nightmares had been going on for quite some time. Leila was, of course, peeved that he had not told her sooner, but understood his reasons for it.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;""I think you already know the answer." Logan gave her a sheepish grin, sighing as he looked down at the tea in his cup, turning his head to the side a little. He had been around a long time and had seen pretty much everything, but Leila still remained a mystery to him. He never really knew what to expect from her, and sometimes that wasn't a good thing. span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;""Yes, but I can't say I enjoy knowing it." the woman commented, tapping her nails on the round ceramic object in her hands. She gently placed her cup to the side and took his from him, also placing it to the side. Her hands held his and she interlaced their fingers, a faint smile on her lips as she shook her head in disbelief, letting out an exasperated laugh. "Logan, emwhyem didn't you tell me?" Leila voiced her question, putting extra emphasis on the why. /span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;""I didn't want to worry you." Logan said quietly, knowing his excuse was lame, though it was the truth. He didn't want to worry her, for she had enough worries without adding his nightmares to the list. span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;"They had known each other for a long time, and had been through many things, both together and apart. She was a mutant too, but she was different. It wasn't her powers that made her dangerous, it was her temper and mortal weapons, not to mention her shrewd and cunning personality. She was the deadliest woman in the world when any type of blade was given to her. span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;"Logan had seen her decapitate and impale people, torture and maim, make them fall to their knees and give her whatever information she wanted to know, before either letting them go and threatening to hunt them down if they ever told, or killing them. She was also a master at almost every martial art and would use those skills to her advantage when fighting. span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;""That's the most bullshit excuse that I've ever fucking heard." Leila's dark eyes bore themselves into his own, her disapproving gaze making Logan chuckle suddenly, which quickly caused the woman to switch from disapproving to confused. "What's so funny?" she said coolly, raising her eyebrow in expectation as she awaited an answer. span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;""You are. You look like you're about to fight me." Logan smirked, stealing a kiss from her soft lips, and pulling back before she could react. "You know, that was the exact same look you gave me when we first met." he remembered, though he couldn't say their first meeting had been particularly romantic or sweet. In fact it was the exact opposite. span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;"They had met when facing off in a cage fight in Canada, which was the first time Logan had tied with anyone in a fight. He had been told earlier that day that he would be fighting against someone called 'Black Tiger', but that was all anyone knew about the opponent, they had no idea that Black Tiger was a girl, or if they did they just didn't say anything. So it was a shock to Logan when he stepped into the ring and saw a petite Asian woman dressed in a black sports bra and short black gym shorts. The only other article of clothing was a pair of black fingerless gloves made of leather, which Logan figured wouldn't do her much good in their fight. Boy was he emwrongem. /span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;"She had kicked his ass in more ways than one, but because of his healing powers, it was impossible for him to be defeated. He discovered after the match that she had healing powers too, along with poison tipped metal claws. She was impressed by his fighting skills, and some of her techniques impressed him, which was when he found out that she was also immortal. However, she was still a relatively normal age, having been born in the year 1964. They had an emstrongextremelystrong/em large age gap, but when you're immortal, it doesn't really matter how many years apart you are from your significant other. /span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;""Logan!" Leila raised her voice, which jerked him out of his thoughts. He blinked a couple times, seeing just how fed up she was with him. He figured he had better pay attention to her, or she would kick his ass again. span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;""You look good dressed like that." he commented, smirking as he made a point of looking her up and down, which probably pissed her off even more, but he was willing to take his chances. "C'mere." he beckoned, which caused her to give him an exasperated look and a raised eyebrow, but she walked over to him without complaint or protest, and stood in front of him, her hands on her hips. span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;""What?" she finally asked, after a few minutes had passed of just silence. She rolled her eyes as she received a look of expectation, before turning away and beginning to walk back to their room, her tea mug in her hand.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;""Leila?" Logan stood, following his girlfriend to their room, stopping at the doorway when he saw her laying on the mattress, the ceramic cup empty and placed a few inches away from her hand. She seemed to be staring out into the dark garden, lost in thought. He turned to go, to give her some space, but stopped when she let out a yell, hearing metal unsheathe.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;"Leila twisted and turned, her metal claws impaling the wood floor, almost slashing the pillow. She sat up, breathing heavily, and distraught. The woman spun around when Logan sat next to her, her metal claws still up in defense. Her eyes were wild with fright, body shaking a little, and her Adam's apple bobbed up and down when she swallowed. span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;""Leila, honey, are you okay?" Logan asked slowly, carefully pulling her into his arms and holding her there. He looked down at her with concern, slight relief coming over him when he noticed that she had stopped shaking and had (thankfully) retracted her claws. His fingers ran through her hair, her head against his chest. The young old man smiled a little, gently laying her down on the bed, noticing that her breathing had slowed, which meant she has fallen asleep. span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;" span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="line-height: 13px;"Logan studied her as he lay by her side, noticing how tense her shoulders were, and the rest of her body was curled slightly inward, a position he had come to recognize as one she would take when she had nightmares or sleepless nights. The man didn't try to wake her and ask if she wanted to talk about it, he just let her sleep, his hand running down her spine in a soothing way. "Good night Leila." he smiled a little bit, kissing her head and closing his eyes once again.span/p 


	3. That's Where It Is

Leila awoke to the chirping of a Japanese thrush and sunlight streaming through the windows. She rolled over on the mattress and immediately sat up when she noticed that Logan wasn't in the room. The woman pulled on a robe and walked around the house at a quick pace, looking for the man. When she didn't find him she bit her lip, and returned to their room, stumbling onto the mattress in a daze. The young woman knew that he had a habit of leaving from time to time for personal reasons, but he would usually tell her when he did so.

The woman fumbled around for her phone and grabbed it from under her pillow, scrolling through numbers until she found Logan's, but skipped past it, selecting one with the name 'Drew' on it. The dial tone rang immediately, so Leila knew that her friend's phone was off, so she tried her other friend, Cameron. No answer. "Great, when I want them to pick up, they don't. When I don't want them to call, they call." she muttered, dropping her phone on the mattress and laying down, staring at it, as if willing it to ring with Logan or her friends' numbers. Eventually she decided that the best thing to do was to sleep, and then maybe do some chores later on.

Waking up to the intense and harsh rays of the sun when it was at it's prime was not something Leila was a fond of. However, she reluctantly dragged herself to the kitchen and began to do the dishes, the clinking of plates distracting her from her worry. She figured that maybe getting dressed and going grocery shopping would help take her mind off of Logan.

The woman had just finished pulling her shoes on when her phone rang, making her perk up. She dove for the device, pressing answer when she saw that the number was from her mother, though she was disappointed that it wasn't from any of the people she had hoped for. "Hey Mom." Leila's voice was dead, and she was sure her mother could tell.

"Hi honey. What are you up to? Is Logan there?" her mother, Natalie, wondered, making Leila sigh. By this time, she was out the door with her purse in hand and pulling on her jacket, as she balanced the phone on her shoulder.

"I'm actually out grocery shopping, Mom. Is there any chance I could call you back later?" Leila wondered, paying for some fruits and veggies. The woman smiled at the vender as she walked to get some bread and cheese, along with some material items, such as clothes and things like that. She planned to visit a drug store later for anything else she might need, as the woman usually only went shopping twice a week.

"Of course. Tell Logan I said hello!" her mother requested, the words making Leila's heart pang. Nevertheless, the girl reassured her mother that she would say hello, and hung up.

By the time she got home it was early evening, and so she assigned herself to the task of making dinner. Out of habit she made enough for two, and set the plates on the table, before pulling out some files for her work, and beginning to edit the things submitted to her by her co-workers.

She was about halfway through the work when the front door opened and then slammed shut. The sound startled the woman, and she grabbed a knife from the kitchen, standing behind the wall and waiting for the intruder to come into the light. The click of a lighter was her cue, and she sprung from her hiding place, knife at the throat of the figure. "Oh my god!" she gasped loudly, dropping the knife on the ground when she saw who it was.

"Little on edge there, sweetheart?" Logan raised an eyebrow at her, his hands in his pockets as he looked down at the female, his cigar hanging from his mouth. The man picked up the knife, placed it back in the knife block, and put the cigar out, sighing. "I owe you an apology, and an explanation." he said slowly, stepping towards her and taking her hands.

"You scared the shit out of me! Couldn't you have called and let me know where you were? You always take time off for personal issues, and I don't see you for weeks, months, or even years at a time! A little note would have been fine too, you know!" Leila sputtered in exasperation, her eyes filled with worry and hurt.

"I know. I'm sorry. Listen, Leila. I owe you an explanation." Logan continued, leading her to the dining room table, where his food was waiting for him. He didn't glance at the food, not even once, his eyes were too focused on her. "I left early this morning because I had to go to the city to get something for you. I didn't want to wake you, and I have no excuse for not writing a note or for not calling you, other than the fact that I needed you to be in the dark as much as possible. It sounds stupid, I know, but give me a few minutes and you'll understand why." he went on, shifting in his seat as he reached for something, something Leila couldn't see. "Leila, I know that I've asked you this many times before, and you've always said no, but I don't think there's any harm in asking again." Logan continued as he looked her in the eye, a small smile on his face as he chuckled. "Will you marry me?" he breathed, and he watched for her usual reaction, an eye roll and dry laugh, which meant no. However, he witnessed none of that this time. All he saw was a silent nod and a small smile, and he felt her small hand in his larger one.

A moment of silence followed, and in that moment a new piece of jewelry adorned the woman's hand. She stared at it, not with a look of surprise, but one of apprehension. "Did you think I was going to say no?" Leila gave him a little smirk, making him chuckle.

"I did. This is the fifteenth time I've proposed to you in the last twenty-one years. I got used to rejection the fifth time around." Logan grinned at her, noticing the happy light in her eyes. He leaned across the table (being careful of the food), and kissed her head, which in turn made the female stand up.

Leila walked to the other side of the table, a smirk on her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with passion, her eyes closing. She felt him place his hands on her back and laughed when he dipped her, gaining the height advantage.

He sneakily moved his hands lower, holding her hips tightly, before pulling her towards him, his eyes closing. He tried to move his hands even lower, but she smacked them, making him grunt.

"Now who'd have thought someone like you could love me? You're the last thing my heart expected." she gave him a little smile, her lips parting as she spoke during the kiss.

The young old man looked down at her, a tired smile on his face as he kissed her head again, pulling her into an embrace. He kissed her, cradling her head in his large palms, while her arms slipped around his neck once more. He ran his fingers through her black hair, and they stumbled away from the table, the kiss becoming more and more passionate.

"Why don't we uh...seal the deal." Logan chuckled, slipping his hands into her back pockets. He pulled back from her, a little grin on his face as she shook her head, smiling. The older (okay okay, much older) man let his hands slide back to her hips, then to her thighs, which he used to lift her petite form up, her legs dangling for a moment before they wrapped around his waist.

"If you insist..." Leila smirked, trailing off as she kissed him hard, letting her eyes close. The woman got out of his hold and quickly turned the tables, pinning him against the wall. "Who's the dominant one now?" she whispered, moving her fingers down his jaw and onto his neck, before her lips took their place. She closed her eyes as she bit the skin, shuddering when he ran his fingers along her waist, grazing the bottom of her black blouse. She pulled back from the kiss and lifted her arms up, waiting for him to help take the shirt off.

"I think I am." Logan murmured into her ear, before he pulled her shirt over her head and carelessly threw it to the side. He slammed her against the wall, his lips locked with hers, a furious and burning passion behind the kiss. He placed both hands on her lower back and pulled her towards him, a growl erupting from his throat when she wrapped her arms around his neck. "C'mere baby." he whispered, pulling back from the kiss and guiding her away from any inanimate or fragile objects, as he knew how pissed she got when they broke something. He watched her pick up her shirt and pull it on again, making him chuckle.

"Hey, just because I have more appreciation for my clothes than you do, doesn't mean you can laugh at me." Leila reminded him as she took off her shoes and shirt, slipping out of her jeans. She pulled her hair out of the ponytail, shaking the black mane until it was back to it's full volume.

"You know I'm better at taking them off than putting them on." Logan ran his fingers down her spine, his lips on her neck as she leaned her head back, a soft groan coming from her mouth. The man smirked, turning her around so she was facing him, and kissed her slowly, his eyes closing.

"Oh you're funny." Leila said dryly, breaking the kiss and gathering up her clothes. She walked to their bedroom and placed the articles of fabric on a chair, her tan skin glowing in the moonlight. She extended her arms and swiveled her hips from side to side, stretching her petite body.

"You look good in black." Logan breathed in her ear, making her jump and fling a hand over her heart.

"Don't do that!" she scolded, her heart pounding from the scare. She relaxed when his arms wrapped around her waist, her head on his shoulder. The man chuckled as he kissed her neck, his hands slowly running up from her waist to her shoulders, the touch making her smile a little. He spun her around to face him, before pulling the woman in for another kiss. It was a slow and enjoyable one, their lips moving against each other like two pieces of a puzzle (as cliche as it sounds).

"You know, you're pretty sexy when you're angry." Logan murmured, his fingers playing with the clasp of her black undergarment.

"I'm not angry."

"Okay, you're sexy when you're not angry, too."

"You could just say you think I'm sexy in general. Wouldn't that be simpler?"

"Sure, it would be. However that's boring and I'm not exactly a boring guy."

"That's debatable." Leila ended the banter, leaning up and gently kissing his lips, her eyes closing. Her fingers played with his hair as he lifted her up and held her against the wall, her legs hanging by his waist.

"Oh, is it?" Logan raised an eyebrow, before leaning forward and pressing his body against hers, trapping the woman against the wall. He bit her neck, feeling the pulse beat rapidly under his lips, the dull thumping sound making him grin. He loved when he could make her act like this, submissive but dominant. She had a lot of fire in her, but so did he. He knew the spots she wanted to be touched in, didn't want to be touched in, and the spots that made her go weak. He knew so much about her, but she also knew a lot about him.

"Pretty sure it is." Leila responded after a moment of silence, the feeling of his teeth against her skin driving her wild. "Oh god..." she whispered, her breathing shaky as he pulled away from her neck, and she thought she would have a chance to regain her breath, but boy, was she wrong!

"I imagine the wall isn't very comfortable." Logan laughed breathlessly as he stepped back and released her, letting the woman scurry away and jump onto their mattress, laughing. He chuckled deeply as he kneeled down next to her, pushing her black hair out of her eyes, bringing their lips back together with a soft collision.

"It wasn't." the woman gave a soft laugh, her arms hooked loosely around his neck. She shook her head playfully as they brushed noses, a grin on both of their lips. She lay back on the bed, looking up at his imposing figure, which had knees on either side of her hips, and hands on either side of her head.

"Didn't seem like it." Logan chuckled, gently biting her bottom lip and beginning to fiddle with the clasp of her bra, which he managed to unhook without too much difficulty.

"You've improved." she mumbled, letting her eyes close as she helped slide the straps down her arm. The woman sat up and placed the garment to the side, then rolled over and pinned his wrists to the mattress, taking the dominant position.

"I've had practice, and lots of it." he kissed her, tilting his head for a better angle, waiting patiently for her to let go of his wrists. It came to his attention that while she was half naked, he still had his shirt and jeans on. "Honey, let me up. I'm going to make this a little more fair for the both of us." he told her, and she let go of his wrists, getting off of him, waiting to see what he meant.

Logan ran his fingers through his hair, pulling his shirt off and carelessly chucking it who-knows-where. He threw his jeans and belt in that general direction, cringing when he heard the buckle of the belt hit a picture on the wall, but luckily it didn't break.

"Logan..." he heard Leila say his name in a warning tone, and gave her a sheepish smile.

"Yes?"

"What have I told you about being careless?"

"Don't throw things without looking first..."

"Thank you."

"I was just trying to get it over with."

"No excuses."

"Fine, fine. No excuses. But at least I didn't break the picture."

"Logan-"

"I'm serious, it could have been a lot worse."

"Logan!"

"Alright, alright! I'm just saying-"

"JAMES LOGAN HOWLETT!"

"Sorry." Logan grumbled, a pout like expression on his face. Leila shook her head and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She kissed him softly, like a leaf on a breeze, or a snowflake landing on a blade of grass.

"I didn't accept your proposal just so you could be an ass afterward. Behave yourself." she reprimanded him, making him scowl angrily. Of course, he couldn't exactly argue with Leila, he had never won any arguments with her, and probably never would.

"Yes ma'am.." Logan mumbled obediently, his hands gripping her hips. His attitude did a one-eighty and soon he was back to his cocky self, with his lips on her neck, no less.

"You might have had a good point about making things fair. I feel less exposed." she grinned, her hands finding their place on his shoulders, and she had to stand on her tiptoes to kiss him, thanks to the drastic height difference.

"Glad I could help. One, two, three, jump!" Logan chuckled as he lifted her up when she bounced on the balls of her feet, but while she was expecting to hook her legs around his waist, he had other plans. Once she jumped, Logan flung her over his shoulder and walked with her to the living room, all while she cursed at him.

"PUT ME DOWN! LOGAN WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU-! YOU FILTHY SON OF A PROSTITUTE BITCH! PUT ME DOWN YOU ASSHOLE!" Leila screamed cuss words, but they did little good. Logan picked up a couple of unlit candles from a table and then made his way back to their room, stopping on the way to grab a box of matches from the kitchen. He finally made it back to the bedroom and almost threw Leila on the mattress, setting up the candles in spots around the room and lighting them.

"Can't blame a guy for trying to be romantic."

"Oh yes, because throwing me over your shoulder is oh-so-romantic."

"It's payback."

"For fuck's sake.."

"I'll be doing all the fucking, in this case."

"Picky picky."

"Shut it." Logan warned her, waiting for the girl to fall silent. He smirked when she humphed, taking this chance to finish lighting the candles. Once that was done, he put them in different places around the room, and kneeled on the mattress, running his fingers down her side, her lip between his teeth.

"Ass." Leila muttered, but she still kissed him back, her eyes closing as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and a smile crept onto her face, a happy smile, full of peace.

"Haven't seen you smile like that in a long time." Logan murmured, helping pry her mouth open with his tongue. He loved being dominate, that was no secret, but he knew Leila loved it too. And to be honest, he didn't mind when she was in charge. He never knew what to expect.

"Haven't been this happy in a long time." she responded quietly, her fingers playing with his hair. She sat up, her hands on his shoulders as he looked at her in surprise.

"That settles it. I'm not going to fuck you." he spoke with determination, his fingers tangling themselves in her hair.

"You're not?"

"No, I'm going to fuck you _and_ make love to you."

"Wow, both at the same time. Impressive."

"You don't believe me?"

"No I do. I'm just surprised." Leila shrugged, letting him lower her back against the bed, an expression of affection on his face, his fingers tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Stop being surprised. That's my job." he chuckled, pulling her underwear down to her knees and doing the same to his own.

"Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"You know..."

"Oh. That. Yeah, no problem. Anything to make you happy, honey."

"I love you."

"I love you too." he murmured, putting his head next to hers and stroking her face with his large hand. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Leila answered with a shrug, her arms hooked around his neck as their lips pressed together, the flames from the candles dancing with the soft air that resided in the room. The blue moonlight shone on the wood floor as yet another night of love passed by.

People say there are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired. But at some point, at some time, there was a new category added, the soldiers. Another bout of time passes, and you have another category, the dreamers. And when a dreamer meets a soldier, you get something beautiful. The two types, so different, yet so much the same, ground each other. One could potentially define Leila as the dreamer, and Logan as the soldier. But one could also say that Leila was the soldier, and Logan was the dreamer. In the end, you get the same result. You get the rarest type of relationship there is, a relationship where neither has to say how much they love the other person, both just know it.


	4. Someday When I Stop Loving You

Logan awoke before Leila, and like every morning, he made her coffee, bringing it to the bedside. "Morning sweetheart." he greeted, his voice soft, and fingers gently brushing her hair from her forehead. He chuckled as she mumbled a couple cuss words, but rolled over eventually, her almond shaped eyes opening slowly.

"Morning. You made coffee?" she propped herself up with her arms, picking up the cup with her small fingers.

"Yeah, I did. Couldn't break tradition, now could I?" he kissed her lips gently, before pulling on a black shirt, buckling his belt. He heard someone yelling for Leila outside, and seeing as how she was a little underdressed for greeting people, went to the door for her.

Bad idea.

Leila heard grunting and the sounds of fighting, along with the sound of metal unsheathing. She moved like a cat, hence her codename, Black Tiger. "LOGAN!" she screamed, before stopping in the hallway opening, seeing her fiancé versing some strange man she had never seen before. "Jesus Christ, just _how_ many enemies do you even _have_?!" Leila groaned, and after looking around and finding no blades near her, unsheathed her claws. Poison tipped claws. "Don't touch him. If you came for me, then fight me." the girl threatened, and for a girl dressed in just a black negligee, she looked pretty frightening.

"Leila! I can handle him. Go!" Logan growled, but the girl just hissed at him, turning back to the mysterious man. He had a faceless mask on, and the only thing human about it were the small incisions for eyes.

"No. Just because I'm dressed like we just had sex doesn't mean I'm incapable of fighting." she glared back at Logan, nodding for him to go.

"We _did_ just have sex."

"SHUT UP AND GET ME A KNIFE! ANY KNIFE WILL DO! MORE THAN ONE WOULD BE PREFERABLE!" she ordered, before lunging at the masculine figure, her eyes narrowed. She sliced through the mask, her poison melting the material. The figure brought out a double sided sword, which clanged with the metal of her claws.

"Catch!" Logan called, throwing her a katana, along with six throwing knives, which she caught with skill. The katana she held by her side, throwing the smaller knives like darts. They pierced the pants and other articles of clothing when they met their target, and one landed just above the crotch area.

"ON YOUR KNEES YOU SON OF A BITCH! DOWN! GET DOWN!" she screamed, holding the samurai sword to his throat. "TELL ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW OR I COLLECT YOUR FUCKING SCROTUM AND TESTICLES! SAY IT! TELL ME!" she threatened, the sword point digging into the jugular vein.

"The Black Rōnin sent me. He did not say why. He just sent me to capture you. And the animal, if it came to it." the attacker turned prisoner gestured to Logan when spewing the word 'animal'.

"The Black Rōnin..? I've never heard of him." Logan turned to Leila, who had gone silent. "Not one of _my_ enemies, thank you very much."

"Be quiet. I'm trying to think." she silenced him briskly, looking down at the "masked man", who looked like he was about to piss himself. If an angry Chinese woman in a black nightgown holding a samurai sword to your throat isn't scary, then I don't know what is. "Give me one good reason NOT to decapitate you."

"I have none. As a servant of the samurai, I must die a noble death. I'll give you my sword to kill me with." the man stated with weak bravado, but was surprised when she rolled her eyes and sheathed her sword.

"You're not worthy of my time, or my blood. Go on. Get out." Leila ordered, turning her back on the man, walking towards Logan. The minute the girl turned, the man charged her with swiftness, but he was no match for the petite girl, as helpless as she looked.

"Leila! Behind you!" Logan barked, but she already sensed it. There was the glint of a small blade, and a sickening slosh, then a groan of pain.

"Don't mistake me to be a helpless little girl. It won't do you well. In the battle sense, I am just as much a man as you. In the battle sense, and in any other sense, I am equal to any man. You'll do well to remember that. I'll let those be the last words you hear, so you can die in fear of a woman who proved to be just as strong and capable as yourself." she glanced back at him, before continuing to walk back to Logan.

"You okay there, princess?" Logan asked, holding her shoulders and peering down at her with concern. He brushed some hair from her forehead, bits of dried blood sticking to it.

"Don't call me princess. I'll slit your throat." she said coolly, trying to move past him, but his grip tightened, preventing her from leaving. She stopped and looked up at him, seeing the worry in his eyes. "What?" she whispered, gently brushing his hair back, her fingers stroking his cheek.

"Are you sure you're okay? No injuries, no nothing?" Logan asked quietly, gently kissing her head. He opened his arms for her, letting her hug him, and his whole body relaxed, knowing she was safe. He kissed her head, his thumb rubbing her arm.

"I'm fine. Really." Leila reassured him, taking one of his hands off of her shoulder and holding it in both of hers. "I don't die that easily." she gave a half smile, gently kissing him. She let go of his hand, putting her head in his chest and listening to his heartbeat.

"I know." he murmured, his fingers in her black hair, tangling them in the black strands. He watched the woman pull away from him, then look towards the now-dead man, whose body lay on the furnished wood floor. Logan lumbered over to it, kneeled down, and pulled her knives out of the body. "These'll need a good cleaning." he gave her a small half smile, standing up.

"Yeah I know." Leila sighed, taking the blades from him and grabbing a paper towel from the kitchen, wiping off whatever blood could be wiped off easily, and then began to disinfect them. It was obvious that she took extra good care of her blades, and that fact alone made her even scarier, for someone who takes good care of their weapons is someone to be well respected.

Logan watched her from the doorway, leaning on the frame, his ankles crossed and arms folded, his black shirt faintly outlining his ripped muscles, the short sleeves showing off his tan arms. He watched her carefully leave the weapons on a dish towel to dry, her petite form flitting about the kitchen, preparing breakfast for the day. Her phone rang, the sound coming from the bedroom, and she sighed, running her fingers through her long hair, small signs of stress creeping into her posture. "You want me to cook or go get the phone?" Logan offered, walking over to her and putting his hand on her shoulder, which moved when she shrugged.

"Either or. I think the easiest would be to get my phone. Besides, I don't exactly trust you in my kitchen." she cracked a smile at the end, though it was clear that it was forced.

"Sure thing...princess." Logan smirked at the end, and quickly exited the room before she could find something to shank him with. He found the phone resting on the floor next to her side of the bed, and picked it up, not recognizing the name, though he was certain she would. It was her phone after all. "Here, some guy named Drew is calling you." he grunted, making the girl giggle.

"Drew is a _she_. We've been friends since college. Cameron, Demi, and her are my three closest girl friends." Leila explained, pressing the green button on her phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Lee-Lee. Sorry I didn't get back to you yesterday. Zoe and Will and I went to Waterland for the day. You didn't leave a message, so I wasn't sure if your call was urgent or not. Anyway, what's up?" Drew's chipper and slightly deep feminine voice crackled through the speaker, making Leila smile a little bit, leaning back against the kitchen counter.

"Yesterday I called because I had sort of a rough day, but it got much better at the end." she spoke, grinning up at Logan.

"Rough? How so? What happened?"

"Logan."

"I should've known. Did he vanish and not leave a note or something?"

"Pretty much."

"Typical."

"I should be used to it by now."

"Did he ever come back?"

"Yeah, he's with me right now. He came back around seven last night, and he apologized for worrying me. That said, he proposed to me again."

"What is it, the fifteenth time?"

"Yeah, but this time I actually said _yes._"

"You did! That's great! Congrats! Have you told anybody else? Demi, Cameron, your parents?"

"Nope. You're the first."

"I gotta tell Will! He'll be so excited! Oh Leila this is great!"

"I think you're more excited than I am."

"Well of course! You know how much I love weddings."

"Makes me wonder if I should even invite you."

"Oh you're funny. Alright, I gotta go. Super happy for you Lee, you deserve it." Drew finally hung up, and Leila shook her head, laughter spewing from her lips. She placed her phone down on the counter and went about beginning to cook breakfast. She hummed a song to herself, clearly in a much better mood than she had been in beforehand.

"What did your friend say?" Logan wondered, wrapping his arms around her small waist. He saw her place down the small knife she was using to cut sausages, and turn her head back to face him.

"She told me congratulations on the engagement, and it was about time." Leila chuckled, gently kissing him. Her lips were set in a permanent smile, eyes closing as she placed her hands on his.

"You could have always said yes sooner."

"Shut up."

"Okay, shutting up now." Logan grinned as he kissed her, craning his neck to the side so he could reach her lips.

"Thank you."

"Mmhm. Anytime." he chuckled, action vibrating their throats through their connected lips. His grin transformed into a smirk, and he pulled her back against his chest, making her let out a little squeak of surprise. This made him smirk even more and he placed small kisses on her neck, making the girl laugh, as this small motion always tickled her. "Hold still, I can't kiss you if you're squirming."

"Stop it! That tickles!" she shrieked with laughter, trying to get out of his grip. She eventually gave up and lay back against him, her head against his shirt, face tilted up to look at him.

"That was the point. I was trying to make you laugh." Logan stopped tickling her, letting the woman regain her breath. He ran his fingers through her hair, a smile of affection on his lips. He unwrapped his arms around her waist and stepped back, letting her continue the breakfast preparations.

"You always make me laugh. That's one of the reasons I love you." Leila told him, pausing in her chopping of the sausages. She turned back to him, noticing that he had gone quiet. "Hey….you okay?" she asked softly, stroking his cheek with her small thumb.

"Yeah, just thinking." Logan gently ran his fingers through her hair, before leaning down and gently kissing her head. "I'm going to go out for a little while, but I'll keep my cell phone on me in case you need anything."

"Okay, would you like me to save your breakfast for you?"

"Yeah. Thanks sweetheart. I'll be back soon, promise. Don't miss me too much."

"Don't get killed."

"Try not to burn the house down."

"And don't start trouble." Leila finished, a sweet smile on her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too." he said quietly, pulling on his jacket and walking out the door. He trudged down the two wooden steps, his hands in his jean pockets. You didn't have to know him as well as Leila did to guess that something was on his mind. Logan planned on taking a nice, _long_ walk, just to clear his head.

Once he got far enough along the path that he was able to see the house, he turned and faced it. He could see Leila's shadow moving about in the kitchen, catching a glimpse of her as she passed by the open window in the dining room. The man smiled a little bit, pivoting on his feet and continuing his walk.

Logan looked out at the water as he passed by the concrete barrier that kept cars and lorries from going too far off the path, reminded of the time he had taken Leila on a beach date. That had been a fun time, but it was a long time ago, he was an old man now. Well _technically_ he had been an old man for a couple hundred years (178, to be precise), biologically speaking. However, his immortality kept him looking young and healthy (despite his drinking and smoking habits, which Leila often scolded him for), and his healing powers prevented any diseases from affecting him.

What was weighing so heavily on his mind, though, wasn't any of these things. In all honesty, he wasn't sure what was bothering him. He felt...empty. There. That was the word. Now he just had to figure out _why_. He wasn't empty because of Leila, she was never the cause of his problems. Okay, that was a lie. She was _sometimes_ the cause of his problems, but not always. If she was _always_ the source of his problems, he wouldn't have continued to propose to her.

And with that said, Logan decided to return back home, as it was beginning to be early evening. He hadn't realized that he had been gone for most of the day (though they had woken up late, thanks to the intruder), and figured that if he didn't get back soon, Leila would do one of two things:

A) kick his ass  
>B) be relieved that he came home safely.<p>

Then there was also a chance she might do both.

The man picked up his pace as he walked back, hoping she wouldn't try and kill him like she had the night before. He jogged up the steps and opened the door, hanging his jacket up. "Leila?" No answer. "Leila!" Silence. "LEILA!" It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

By now Logan was extremely worried. He began looking through rooms that he knew she often frequented, and had almost given up when he retraced his steps to the front door, and saw her laying on the carpet near the coffee table. "Leila!" he ran over to her, kneeling down and gently lifting her up, setting her on the couch. She had a little bit of blood on the corner of her mouth and some by her hairline, but nowhere else. Her eyes were closed, and her limbs were flung haphazardly in random directions. It was clear to him that someone had assaulted and knocked her out, but it was strange that she, of all people had not been able to defend herself. Though there was the possibility that she had struggled, but the attacker had thrown her against the coffee table, which would explain the head injury. If she had fought back and been hit before getting thrown into the table, then that would also explain the blood by her mouth.

"Hmmm...? What..?" Leila mumbled questions as she opened her eyes, the cuts vanishing due to her healing powers, which to Logan, meant that he and the attacker had just missed each other.

"Hey baby, easy does it. There we go." Logan helped her sit up on the couch, holding her hand with both of his. He kissed her head and placed his own on her sternum, his ear listening to the steady beat of her heart.

"I'm okay, really. Promise." she played with his hair, kissing the top of his head. "I don't die easy. You know that."

"Yeah...I know." he sighed, lifting his head to look at her. He saw her nut-brown eyes fill with a mixture of affection and amusement, which made him smile a little loved when she got that look, it meant she was relaxed.

"I guess we'll be having breakfast for dinner." she sat up, forcing him to move his head so she could stand.

"Nothing wrong with that." he chuckled, following her into the kitchen. He helped her set the table, putting out forks and napkins. He set two glasses containing Bloody Mary on the table, garnishing them with celery. "Voilà." he smirked, waiting for her reaction.

"It looks great. Thank you." Leila set the plates down on the table and took her seat, placing the thin napkin on her lap. She speared a piece of the omelette with her fork, looking down at the food as she ate. "What do you say we put some music on after dinner? Might be fun to dance." she glanced up at him, offering a tiny grin.

"Slow or fast? Because both of us know that I have two left feet. I _could_ just spin you around until you get dizzy." he smirked, only to get whacked in the face with a piece of celery. "I was kidding. No need for violence." he wiped away the bit of tomato juice that had landed on his cheek.

"I hit you with a _vegetable_. That's not violent. Besides, look who's talking." she reminded him, sipping the mixed drink. The woman smirked behind her glass, stabbing another piece of her food with the fork.

"Sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have left like that."

"What are you talking about? You left in a perfectly reasonable way. You just needed some space, I respect that."

"If I hadn't left you might not have been injured."

"That's what's bugging you? Logan, I'm fine. Look at me, do I look half dead to you?"

"No, not really. But it's not about the circumstances, it's the principle or the idea that you're vulnerable when I'm not around. That's all I'm saying."

"_Bullshit._ That's not true and you know it. I can protect myself with or without your help. I'm not a princess or damsel-in-distress. I'm one of the strongest women you'll ever meet, and the one of the most capable fighters. If you don't like it you can go fuck yourself." Leila stood up when the argument became more intense, glaring at him.

"You're still a woman. Men can still take advantage of you." Logan stood, trying to keep his temper in check. He moved forward to put his hands on her shoulders, but she recoiled, stepping back with her arms folded.

"Like I would give them a chance. I put up a fight even when it's just you. What makes you think I'll be easy prey for somebody else?"

"You wouldn't. Not by choice at least. Look Leila, I'm not bringing this up to piss you off-"

"Well you're doing a great job!"

"One of my talents. But that's beside the point. My point is this: I care about you. I care about you a hell of a lot more than I care about myself. I want you to be safe. Because if I can't keep you safe, I've failed as a partner and lover."

"ENOUGH! I'M SICK AND TIRED OF HEARING THAT STUPID SPEECH! I AM NOT WEAK, I AM NOT VULNERABLE, AND I AM **_NOT_** A LITTLE GIRL! I AM A GROWN WOMAN. AND THIS DISCUSSION IS OVER!" Leila yelled, burning anger flashing in her dark eyes, her body stiff as she flipped her hair and stalked past him, heading to the front deck.

"Leila!"

"FUCK YOU! IM DONE! IM DONE WITH THIS BULLSHIT AND IDEA THAT I NEED PROTECTION! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" she clenched her fists, her voice wavering as she yelled, tears of anguish falling from her eyes. She stomped on the steps and sat down on the second one, running her fingers through her hair.

It was quiet in the house for sometime, before Logan came out, standing by the front door, watching her. He tilted his head and furrowed his brow when she sniffled, not realizing that he had made her angry enough to cry. There was a shuffle of feet as he moved to sit next to her, slowly, cautiously. He said nothing, but wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into an embrace. "C'mere. I'm sorry princess."

"Don't call me that." she mumbled, closing her eyes as she leaned against his arm. The woman's chest rose and fell momentarily, a sigh slipping past her lips. "I'm sorry I blew up on you."

"It's fine. You were right. Always are." he kissed her head, rubbing her arm. He saw a smirk form on her lips as she rolled her eyes to look up at him.

"Will you tell me a story?" she requested, turning her gaze to the star covered sky, the pale moon bathing the land in silver.

"What story would you like to hear?"

"The one about the moon."

"That one? Okay." Logan looked surprised, but cleared his throat, prepping for the story.

Leila's face lit up with muted delight, her eyes fixated on him as she sat up straight, no longer leaning on his arm.

"You know why the Moon is so lonely? Because she used to have a lover. His name was Kuekuatsheu [Koo-a-koo-ott-soo] and they lived in the Spirit World together. And every night, they would wander the skies together. But one of the other spirits was jealous. Trickster wanted the Moon for himself, so he told Kuekuatsheu that the Moon asked for flowers. He told him to come to our world and pick her some wild roses, but Kuekuatsheu, taking the shape of a dog, didn't know that once you leave the Spirit World, you can never go back. And every night, he looks up in the sky and sees the Moon and howls her name. But he can never touch her again." Logan paused, turning away from the moon and facing her. "You know what Kuekuatsheu means?"

"It means Wolverine."

"Yeah, that's right. How'd you know?"

"You've told me this story many times."

"Then why'd you ask me to tell it again?"

"Because it's my favorite story, and I love to hear you tell it."

"Fair enough. What made you think of the story, anyway?"

"Just the moon itself. It's beautiful tonight."

"Yeah, it is. Of course, not nearly as beautiful as you."

"I'm the moon, and you're my Wolverine." Leila smiled as she lay her head on his arm, his head on hers.

"Will you ever stop loving me?" Logan asked seriously, startling his fiancée. Coming from him, it was a reasonable question. After all, most of his past lovers had died at the hands of enemies. So it was only natural that he should wonder if she would ever give up on him.

**_"I'll move on baby just like you.  
>When the desert floods and the grass turns blue.<br>When a sailing ship don't need her moon.  
>It'll break my heart but I'll get through,<br>Someday when I stop loving you."_** Leila answered with lyrics from a song, holding his hand tightly. "So, no. Never. I'll never stop loving you." she swore, lifting her head to look him in the eye.

"That was pretty poetic." he gave a small grin, leaning down and kissing her. He felt her arms around his neck and a smile on her lips, knowing that their fight was behind them. The man took this opportunity to gently bite her lip, making her grin widen, though she still didn't open her mouth. "You're going to play hard to get, aren't you?" he murmured, their lips sliding up and down when she nodded.

"You're going to have to work for it." she challenged him, her teeth biting down on his lip, and managing to pry open his mouth with her tongue. "I win."

"You've done enough bruising to my ego for one day, give it a rest."

"I'm _not_ going to let you gain the upper hand. Like I said, you'll have to fight for it." she tried taunting him, her fingers playing with his dark hair.

"Can't I get a free pass, just this once?"

"No."

"Fine. I'll fight for it, if you _really_ want me to." Logan placed his hands on her hips, gripping them tightly as he attempted to beat her in a dominance war, using tongues. "You're too smart for your own good, honey."

"Shut up and kiss me." Leila ordered, speaking in a whisper. She moved closer, tilting her head a little more, trying to get a better angle.

"One of the few times I can use my height to my advantage."

"One more remark about my diminutive stature and I swear-!"

"Yeah yeah yeah, you'll kick my ass. I know." he waved off her threat, pulling her closer by her hips. "Ever tried sex outside?"

"No. Just no. Don't even think about it." she warned, making him laugh as he broke the kiss.

"I'll keep that in mind." he smirked, kissing her again, their eyelashes fluttering as they shut their eyes.

"I'm sure you will. I'm sure you will." Leila mumbled, her hands on his shoulders as they both inclined their heads, the kiss becoming softer, but still very passionate.


	5. Forever Changed

The next morning was a peaceful awakening. No attackers or missing boyfriends, not even so much as an early morning phone call. Of course, the same couldn't be said for what happened _after_ breakfast. _That_ was another story.

"I was thinking we could go into the city today, or maybe just into town. Get out of the house at least." Leila suggested, pouring herself a cup of tea, her bare feet shuffling lightly on the furnished wood floor, her black nightgown lightly swishing with her quick movements.

"Sounds fun." Logan sipped his tea, eyeing her figure as she moved about, making oatmeal for the two. "You know what I like about mornings?"

"What?"

"You."

"Excuse me?"

"You. In the mornings you're not all dolled up and dressed to make an impression. You look natural like this. No heels, no makeup, no fancy hairdo. I think it's when you look your best." he complimented, tying his robe shut.

"Oh. Thank you." she blinked, a small blush coming to her cheeks as she looked down at herself. "I look like something the cat dragged in, no pun intended." she chuckled, referring to her mutant alias. "You tied it backwards. It goes in the front." Leila laughed, walking over to adjust the sash. She untied the bow from the back, and re-tied it in the front. "It's just a normal robe, nothing special." she looked up at him when she finished, shaking her head in amusement.

"That's it. Fuck it all. Mariko told me one way, you're telling me another. What's next, tie it on the side?" Logan responded with sarcasm, making the girl laugh.

"Not a bad idea, someone should invent that." a kind voice spoke from behind the couple, making both spin around. "Storm!" Leila said gleefully, happy to see her friend.

"Shit." Logan muttered, only to get smacked in the arm by Leila. "Ow."

"Don't be a dick." Leila snapped, making a man chuckle behind them. "Professor?" Leila wondered, only to see a young man with glasses and a lab coat. "Hank!" she grinned, and Logan muttered another curse word. "Hey!" Leila glared at him.

"It seems we dropped in at a bad time. My apologizes." Professor X spoke from the front door, Bobby and Kitty standing by his side. Leila was now totally confused, and not exactly dressed for the occasion.

"Hey, where's the privacy? A little heads up phone call would have been nice too." Logan stood in front of his barely clothed girlfriend, who rolled her eyes.

"It's fine Logan. It's fine." she tried to step forward, but he mimicked her movements and blocked her. "For fuck's sake….."

"Shut up. Nobody but me is allowed to see you dressed like this."

"I'm _actually_ going to stab you. Move." Leila pushed his arm and stepped forward, much to the displeasure of Logan, who stood eyeing the others with irritation. Rogue, Kitty, Bobby, Storm, and Hank all took seats, with the Professor maneuvering his wheelchair to the spot next to Hank.

"So, what can I do for you?" Leila took a seat on the couch opposite the visitors, her tea in her hand. She moved over when Logan sat down, setting the cup on the table when he put his arm around her.

"We." Logan corrected, making Leila roll her eyes. He looked down at her and took her hand, gripping it tightly, a sure sign of protectiveness.

"I'll ignore that." Leila said calmly, giving the man a dirty look, making Hank and Storm chuckle. Rogue smiled a little bit, happy that her mentor had found someone who made him content with life. "It's been a while since I've seen most of you. How is the school doing?" she asked, standing up when Hank walked over to give her a hug. "Hey Hank, good to see you. Nice to see you haven't changed." she smiled, wrapping her arms around the mutant, responding to the tight hug.

"Good to see you too, Leila. Glad to see Logan's treating you well." he smiled, and she kissed his cheek, playful ruffling his hair.

"Well if he doesn't, I'll have you beat him up." she laughed, shooing him back to his seat. "I can always count on my big brother to beat someone up for me." she joked, referring to him as her brother. "I'll come to you Charles. Don't move." Leila grinned as she walked over to the Professor, giving him a tight hug as well. "You look well, it's nice to see you." she pulled back, smiling.

"Leila." Logan said quietly, making her turn around. She looked confused at his serious expression, as did the others, with the exception of the professor, due to his telepathic abilities.

"What is it?" she sat down next to him, taking his hands and thumbing over the top of his hands. "What's worrying you?" she raises her hand and stroked his face, her fingers trailing along his jawline.

"I got a bad feeling about this." Logan said quietly, putting his hand over hers, keeping it on his face. He leaned forward and kissed her head, letting his hands slide to her arms. "I love you." he murmured, letting his arms wrap around her small body.

"I love you too." she smiled, kissing his lips quickly. "We should tell them." she whispered, speaking of their engagement.

"Everyone, we have an announcement to make. Leila and I are engaged." Logan held up her hand, and everyone clapped, Hank whistling.

"She finally said yes?" Rogue asked, grinning as she hugged him. She took a step back when Kitty went to hug Logan, avoiding her rival.

"Yeah, that she did." Logan looked down at the Asian woman, before smirking and pulling her in for a deep kiss. He had to lean down due to the height difference and ended up dipping her, making it easier.

"Logan if you drop me-!" Leila warned, making some of the others chuckle. She finally broke the kiss, and steadied herself, her face flushed as she cleared her throat. "Sorry about that." she turned to everyone else, none of which were looking offended.

"We came to seek your help. There is a new enemy out there." the Professor began, but Logan interrupted him.

"Look, Professor, Leila and I have spent a lot of time trying to live away from all this conflict. I appreciate the offer but I'm going to have to say no." Logan stood, making his point even clearer.

"Hey I get a say too, you know. You don't get to make my choices for me." Leila stood, her hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes at Logan.

"Uh _yes_, I _do_." Logan folded his arms as he looked down at her, raising his eyebrow at her objection.

"No. _I_ decide what's for me."

"Leila, knock it off."

"_You_ knock it off! I make my own choices, _with_ or _without_ your consent. I'm not your servant, I don't need to do what you say."

"We're getting married, Leila. I have a say in what you do. It's about compromise."

"Which is something you aren't doing. You didn't even ask for my opinion when you rejected the request. You don't get to have that control over me, or our relationship for that matter." Leila jabbed her finger in his chest, and the angry aura made Logan step back.

"That's not what I'm saying. I personally don't _want_ to help. I've had enough fighting."

"Go fuck yourself, pretty boy." Leila ended the disagreement, flipping her hair and turning back to the group. "We'll help you. But on one condition."

"Which is?" Charles prompted, watching the couple's interactions. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that those two were the _oddest_ couple that they had ever met, but yet, they seemed perfect for each other.

"Logan and I want to have our wedding first." Leila held his hand, their fingers interlaced. It was as if the argument had never occurred.

"Of course. We wouldn't dream of preventing such a marvelous event." Charles smiled at his friend, whose face flushed as she smiled up at her fiancé. "He's a good man." the teacher nodded his approval.

"I know he is." Leila held Logan's hand tightly, swinging it back and forth. She leaned against his arm, her head resting just above his elbow.

"Tired?" Logan looked down at her, lifting up his arm and wrapping it around her shoulders, leaning down to kiss her head.

"No, at peace." she corrected, letting her eyes close as she put her head against his side.

"Whatever the case, you should get some sleep. How about I clean up and escort our guests out, then you can rest." Logan looked down at her, and he could see the rings around her eyes from the lack of sleep.

"Fine, fine. I'm going back to bed." Leila rubbed her eyes, turning from the group after politely waving goodbye. As soon as she disappeared around the corner her fiancé sighed.

"She works too hard. I wish I could get her to take a break." he ran his fingers through his hair, sighing.

"That's never going to happen, is it?" Charles asked quietly, a slight twinkle in his eye.

"Nope. Thanks for stopping by." Logan nodded, exiting the room and going to join Leila. He found her sitting on the cot wearing her reading glasses. She glanced up and offered a tight smile, before going back to her reading. "Hey." Logan kneeled down and brushed some hair from her forehead.

"I don't want to talk." Leila said firmly, turning away from his touch. She closed the book and lay down, putting her hands under her head and sighing through her nose. She pressed her lips together before turning over and putting her head against his chest. "Just hold me. That's all I want. Please." she requested, smiling a little bit when he lay next to her, wrapping his arms around her back.

"There's something you're not telling me. You were happy a few hours ago. What happened?" he ran his fingers through her hair, kissing her head and holding her close. "You can tell me. You can always tell me." he thumbed her arm, placing his chin on her head.

"I was pregnant, Logan. Just a couple weeks. I wasn't sure at first, that's why I wanted to wait till this morning to tell you. But I didn't get a chance. When I went back to our room, I had really bad pain in my back, cramps worse than the kind you would get on a period. I knew what had happened, but I….I just couldn't bring myself to accept it. I had a miscarriage, that's all there is to it. Honestly, I just want to cry. This was such a special thing. You and I, we were going to be parents. And now that's gone." Leila's voice began to crack as she continued to explain, and tears began to trickle down her cheeks. "I feel miserable and I just want to curl up in a ball and die." she pressed her forehead to his chest and cried, her whole body shaking with overloaded nerves caused by the stress.

"Oh honey…. I'm so sorry baby. I'm so sorry." Logan's face fell when she told him the news, his grip tightening around her. He kissed her head repeatedly, just holding her, knowing that it would take a long time for her to be happy again. "Someday we'll get that chance again. I promise. I love you. I really, really, love you." he whispered reassurance, as unhelpful as it may have been at that moment.

"I know what caused it." she whispered, her hand on his chest.

"What was it?"

"Mismatched chromosomes. That accounts for sixty percent of miscarriages. It's possible that for us, there was no place for the X-gene. We're both mutants, it's guaranteed that our children will inherit the gene. But maybe this time it just wasn't the right match.." Leila trailed off, pursing her lips. She pulled the bed covers up to her neck and pressed her face to his skin.

"Maybe." Logan agreed, rubbing her back. He gave a heavy sigh, his hold tightening as he watched her begin to fall asleep. He closed his eyes and let sleep become his escape.

Unfortunately, nightmares and clips of the past don't often leave whenever you wish them too.

Logan was in a cabin, or some sort of house. He watched the door open and a woman with brown hair walked in. Logan walked over to her and kissed her, or rather, he saw himself do so. She was a school teacher. Kayla. Then the dream shifted, like a picture book.

He was back in Xavier's school, walking down the stairs. Jean was standing with Scott and some of the other teachers. "Hi Jean." "Hey Logan." Jean turned back to Scott after greeting Logan with a smile. He moved to take another step, but the stairs had shifted into concrete and the dream changed again.

Logan was standing in front of a medium sized house in a military uniform. It was 1991, and from what he could remember, it would have been around the time he had returned from the Gulf War. He watched himself knock on the door and a middle aged woman opened it, her eyes full of fright. He watched her scream upstairs in Chinese and a young Asian woman ran down the stairs, stopping when she got to the hallway. "Leila." he spoke in an echoey voice, opening his arms for the girl, who would have been twenty-two at this time. She looked it too, since she had not yet hit thirty, the prime of her life, which was when her powers would stop her aging process and keep her looking young. "Logan! I thought you were dead! They sent a letter and-" Logan didn't get to hear the rest of the sentence. He was awoken by Leila, the one in the real world, shaking him.

"What? What's going on?" Logan grumbled tiredly, massaging his retinas with his thumbs. He sighed, sitting up with the use of his arms.

"There's someone here." she whispered, sitting up and looking out towards the hallway. She looked frightened, something Logan rarely saw.

"Easy honey, you're just dreaming." Logan whispered, his sensitive hearing picking up no traces of an unfamiliar presence.

"But what if they hurt the baby?" Leila was either half asleep, or her depression was beginning to make her delusional.

"There's no baby, Leila. I'm sorry." he apologized, holding her close and rubbing her back and gently quieting her. "I love you. We'll get through this." he kissed her head, his fingers trailing down to rest on her abdomen, before moving to place it on her lower back.

Leila shook her head and blinked, looking up at him. She rubbed her temples, sighing heavily. "God what is wrong with me? I'm going crazy." she groaned, sitting up.

"Leila?"

"It was just a bad dream, Logan. Just a bad dream. I'm sorry for how crazy I must have sounded."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

It was quiet for a moment, then Leila started to cry, her hand over her mouth. She sniffled for a little bit, tears falling from her dark eyes. "When will it stop hurting? I don't want to be like this for the rest of my life. I want to be happy." she managed to be audible through her sobs, and Logan listened, nodding along with what she said.

"It seems to me that you've already stopped hurting. You just said you want to be happy. By saying that it means that you've already let the sadness go." Logan took her hands and kissed her gently, moving a piece of hair from her face.

"It does seem that way, doesn't it? You always did have a way of seeing things differently than I did." she cracked a tiny smile, her hand on his face.

"Listen, Leila. If you ever want to- to try again..." Logan cupped her face and kissed her, pulling back to rest his forehead against hers.

"I know." Leila nodded, stroking his cheek. She put her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his back, closing her eyes. "This is the only day I wish to forget."

"Yeah, me too."


	6. The Night Before (Life Goes On)

It was late morning when the two awoke, the sun already blasting it's rays into every room in the house. Birds chirped and bushes rustled as a lizard or small animal scampered under it. Logan was sitting outside on the steps, holding a cup of coffee and wearing just pajama bottoms. He rubbed his face with the palm of his hand and exhaled slowly, closing his eyes momentarily. He heard light footsteps approach him and then someone sat down, placing a second coffee cup on the desk. "Good morning. You sleep okay?" Leila placed her hands on the steps and wrapped her fingers around the edge.

"Slept fine. You?" Logan looked down at her, smiling a little bit. She wore a short light purple robe, and had some bedhead, which she was currently running her fingers through.

"Okay, I guess. I'm still really tired." she gave a weak laugh, leaning forward a little bit. The woman inclined her head downward, sighing through her nose. "Do you think we could move somewhere else?" she looked at him, her position slouched.

"Where? The kitchen? Living room?" Logan folded his hands on his knee, thumbs facing upward. He furrowed his brow when she shook her head, and he could see her grip the edge of the step just a little bit tighter.

"No Logan. I mean like _move_. As in, go live somewhere else. I was thinking maybe on the outskirts of Paris or something. The Canadian Rockies is another option. You said you used to have a cabin there. Another option is New York. I grew up in Queens. Just not here. It hurts too much." she turned her head away from him when he reached out to touch her face, having noticed a tear slide down her cheek.

"Whatever you want, sweetheart. There's nowhere else I'd rather be than somewhere with you." he gently pulled her to his side, his arm around her shoulders.

"Then I say Canada. It's quiet and beautiful." Leila concluded, holding his hand as she watched the ocean water glitter in the sunlight. The small ring she wore glinted when she moved her fingers in the hold, making her smile.

"When do you want to leave?" her fiancé got to the point, standing abruptly, though their hands remained clasped. He looked down at her, relieved that she looked much healthier than she had the night before. Of course, he knew that the news was still taking it's toll on her, it was on him too, but she'd always been a fighter.

"As soon as possible, I guess. Good news is we don't have to pack much." Leila stood, tucking a piece of black hair behind her ear. The woman followed him inside, going into the front closet, where they kept their suitcases. There really _wasn't_ that much to pack, which made sense if you knew the couple in question. Clothes and shoes were packed first, then pictures and other sentimental things, before finally finishing off with Leila's jewelry and toiletries.

"We could still keep this place open, in case we want to come back." Logan suggested, taking one last look around the house, making sure they hadn't forgotten anything. He held his suitcase handle in one hand and wrapped his other around his lover's shoulders.

"Okay. Can we go now?" Leila asked quietly, gripping his hand tightly. She was slowly putting herself back together, but it would take some time. There were no words to express how much she loved Logan or how grateful she was for his support. To have him there, always, even when he wasn't, was something she cherished more than anything. He was so accepting, so unbelievably strong, and so compassionate. He was her rock. And she was his.

"Of course. We have a flight to catch. And I'm just bursting with excitement." he grumbled the last part, and she laughed, knowing how much he hated flying. It was alright though, she was there. Having her by his side made all the flight anxiety leave, or at least fade to the back of his mind.

"You want to drive or should I?" Leila began walking to the car, putting her suitcases in the trunk, leaving room for his. She ran a hand over her stomach, swallowing. There were unshed tears in her dark eyes, and she bowed her head, sniffling. The woman had heard about the traumatizing experience of miscarriage from some of her colleagues and friends, but it was so much harder when it was you and not them. To go through an experience first hand, was something she wouldn't wish on anybody, not even her worst enemy.

"I'll drive, but only because you're a nutcase on the road." Logan threw his bags in the trunk next to hers, his joking tone vanishing when he saw her sorrowful expression. He sighed heavily through his nose, and wrapped his strong arms around her small frame. "It's gonna be okay, darlin. It's gonna be okay." he kissed her head repeatedly, holding her tightly.

"I know. Thank you." she whispered, coughing a little bit and sniffling as she closed her eyes, tears trickling down her tan cheeks, like small raindrops falling down the stem of a leaf.

"We'll try again when we get to our place in Canada. If you're up for it. We can take as long as you'd like. We have all the time in the world, baby." the man reassured her, running his fingers through her black hair and walking her to the passenger's side of the car.

"I really, really want a baby. I always have. I want to go through the process of carrying my own flesh and blood. I want to be able to look at pictures of an ultrasound and cry over the fact that we made that. You and me, we created life. I want that! Is that too much to ask for?" Leila spoke with slight anger, which was normal for a woman in her position. She wasn't angry at Logan, nor was she angry with herself. She was angry with the world, or God, or Moses, or Jesus, or whoever was the higher power in the life she was living. If there was any.

"Leila, look at me. We will get through this. I promise. Believe it or not, I want a kid just as much as you. I love you, okay? And I will do anything, _anything_, to make you happy. So as soon as you want, be it tonight, tomorrow, a day, a week, or even a month, we will try again. Do you understand? I love you, honey. I really do." Logan held her hands and kissed her deeply, and he couldn't help but imagine what she would look like when she was pregnant. He knew she would be smiling, glowing, happy, and very thankful. They just needed a chance. One chance. "Baby I love you so so much. I don't care how many times I have to repeat it. I love you, I love you, I love you." he murmured over and over, his arm around her shoulders. Logan had never been one for commitment, but Leila had changed that. She was different, and he could say with absolute certainty that he'd never loved anyone more than he loved her.

"I love you too. Thank you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. You're more than I could ever ask for. I'm lucky to have you, I really am. I couldn't ask for more. You are just so…..special." Leila whispered, giving him a weak smile. She held his hand as he started the car, letting go only once he needed to shift gears. Outside the window, Nagasaki's beauty passed by in small blurs, but she still caught some last glimpses.

"We're going to have to find jobs in Canada, you know that, right?" Logan glanced at her as they finally began making their way through the main city. It was busy and crowded, one reason why the two picked the outskirts as their home.

"You could be a cop." the woman suggested, making her fiancé roll his eyes and shake his head, his lips upturned in mild amusement. "What?"

"You're kidding, right? Cops get shot or injured pretty often if they aren't careful. And with my healing powers, I'd have the whole damn city after me. No thank you."

"What about a construction worker?"

"Honey, I'm better off working as a grocery store clerk."

"Logan I'm serious! You'd be way more useful as a worker than a clerk."

"Point taken. Alright Miss Smarty-Pants, what's your job going to be?" Logan smirked at her, switching lanes to stay on par with the lane that would take them to the airport.

"A teacher, what else? I'm thinking high school."

"No offense darlin, but you look young enough to be their classmate. I don't think the kids would take you seriously. And besides, some of the boys might hit on you." Logan's protective side began to show, making the girl roll her eyes and gently shove him.

"Fine then, middle school."

"Uh-"

"Logan!"

"I'm just saying!"

"How about a waitress?" Leila drummed fingers on the dashboard in slight irritation, eyeing him with disdain.

"I don't like the idea of male customers making a pass at you." Logan looked unsure, but he knew that his girlfriend was beginning to lose her patience.

"Then what the hell do you want me to do? As hard as it is for you to believe, I can't just base my job choice off of if I will be working around men." she snapped, turning her head to look out the window.

"Alright, alright! You can be a middle school teacher. They make good money, and you like kids. Case closed." Logan gave in, ending the discussion. He knew she was right, but he couldn't help being overprotective.

"Thank you." Leila rolled her eyes, typing on her cell phone in order to make sure her knives were shipped from their old home to their new one in Canada. It was going to be a few weeks before she got them, but waiting wasn't an issue.

"No problem honey. No problem." Logan ran a hand through his hair, sighing softly. He was really not looking forward to the almost eleven hour plane flight (technically it was ten hours and fifty minutes, but he rounded up). If there was one thing Logan hated more than anything, it was flying. He didn't hate the plane itself or the height, he just hated the turbulence. That and the fact that he got airsick.

"I don't like making you fly, I really don't. I'm sorry to make you go through this. I'm being stupid. We could have stayed." Leila apologized, taking his hand. They were fairly close to the airport, maybe a few miles out, so it was pointless to turn back now. She knew it too, but the apology felt necessary.

"Leila. Look at me." Logan stopped at the red light, cupping her face and kissing her head, before pulling back a couple of inches and stroking the top of her cheekbone. "I will do anything, _anything_, for you. I know I've said it before, but I don't mind repeating it. You have every right to feel this way, and every right to make the choice you made. Don't apologize. If moving back to Canada, even if it means flying for eleven hours, makes you happy, I'll do it. For you. Because I love you. Now, are you going to continue apologizing for dragging me onto a fucking plane, which I hate, or are you going to let it go? My advice is let it go. Let me be clear, I'm not asking you to forget the miscarriage, I would never ask that of you. I'm just asking for you to stop thinking you have to apologize for wanting to leave the place where it happened. Sometimes we all just need to get away and start fresh. There's nothing wrong with that. So, are we good? Are you going to let it go, or am I going to have to find some other way to convince you that you aren't in the wrong?"

"We're good." Leila said quietly, placing her hand on his, which still rested on her cheek. She gave a small smile when he kissed her forehead, and she could feel him smile against her skin. The woman took her hand away when the light changed colors, allowing them to move forward. "I love you too. Very much." she took his hand and intertwined their fingers, the firm and reassuring grip, and the feeling of his warm flesh pressed against hers made her smile as she lay her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

"We'll be there soon, princess. Just rest. I'll wake you when we get to the airport." Logan spoke softly, taking his hand out of the hold to run his fingers through her hair, and then gently placed it back where it was, restoring a sense of security.


End file.
